Viewtopia 12/29/09: Top 5 DVDs of the Week (With Video!)

Jennifer's Body: Unrated (2009)

Jennifer's Body had a lot things working against it, especially considering the massive overexposure of and ensuing backlash against it's marquee star Megan Fox as well as the truly pedestrian direction of "semi-prefessonal" filmmaker Karyn Kusama, but Amanda Seyfried and Diablo Cody's script make it work. Cody, the Academy-Award-winning screenwriter of 2007's Juno, doesn't make Jennifer's Body a horror film, but rather an ode to horror films. It's a shame that Amanda Seyfried (HBO's Big Love) played second fiddle to Fox in the advertising campaign, as she is truly the film's breakout star. Jennifer (Fox) develops a taste for boys, literally, after being possessed by a demon and it's up to her childhood friend "Needy" (Seyfried) to stop her.

Extras include:

* Original Theatrical Version and Unrated Version * Commentary on the Theatrical Version with Director Karyn Kusama and Writer Diablo Cody * Commentary on the Unrated Version with Director Karyn Kusama

Paranormal Activity (2009)

I'm sure that by now the amazing, real-life Hollywood success story of Paranormal Activity is known by more people than have actually seen the film. Still, the $15,000 indie has grossed more than $107 million since its release, making it the most profitable film of all time with a return of 713,000 percent. Films that achieve such this kind of success are often a letdown to viewers with high expectations, but I'm happy to say Paranormal Activity delivers. Video game programmer and first-time filmmaker Oren Peli has crafted a truly homemade feature using state-of-the-art technology and his own DIY ingenuity.

Extras include:

* Alternate Ending

Glee, Season One, Vol. One: Road to Sectionals (2009)

Ryan Murphy, creator of the beloved cult series Popular and the adult drama Nip/Tuck, has a bona fide hit on his hands with Glee. Murphy, a chorus geek (or "Gleek" as fans of the show would say) from back in the day, has said that he's drawn on a lot of personal experience for the show. Music has always played a pivotal role in his earlier shows, but it takes center stage in Glee with the unbelievably talented cast belting out vocal renditions of classic tunes like Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," Queen's "Somebody to Love" and The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The show is on hiatus now, but these 13 episodes should tide fans over until the series eventually returns in April where it will go up against Lost.

Extras include:

* Full Length Audition Pieces

* Welcome to McKinley!

* Fox Movie Channel Casting Session

* Deconstructing Glee With Ryan Murphy

* Dance Boot Camp

* Repurposed Web VAM

9 (2009)

It was the stop-motion look of animator Shane Acker's 2005 short that impressed director Tim Burton, so much so that he produced the feature-length version. Acker's ambitious CGI film combines the genres of science fiction and steampunk with an even more handmade aesthetic, which fans have since dubbed stitchpunk. With a look and feel akin to the rag doll creations found in Sony's LittleBigPlanet on the Playstation 3, 9 is a post-apocalyptic tale with a twist. A Scientist, whose mechanical creations ultimately led to the end of humanity, creates a band of dolls tasked with defeating the machines and saving the world.

A Perfect Getaway: Unrated Director's Cut (2009)

I can't understand why David Twohy isn't a household name like Stephen Sommers (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and J.J. Abrams (Star Trek). Twohy's got an amazing pedigree as a writer with films like The Fugitive, Warlock and Critters II to his credit, along with having directed blockbusters like Pitch Black, its sequel The Chronicles of Riddick and the cult films The Arrival and Below. A Perfect Getaway is a Hitchcockian thriller full of unexpected twists and "pitch black" humor set against the lush backdrop of the Hawaiian islands.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.